DOWN THE STATEN ISLAND SHORE TO SANDY HOOK
"Dick! Dick! What ails you?"
"My head, Sam! Arnold Baxter struck me down," came with a groan.
"Can you get up? We want to follow them," cried Tom, as he
caught his brother by the arm. He had just reached the factory
on a dead run, lantern in hand, to find Dick.
"I guess I can stand, Tom. But I can't run yet."
"Here, take the lantern and I'll carry you," came quickly, and in
a moment more Tom Rover had Dick on his back and was running for
the _Searchlight_ as rapidly as the nature of the meadow land
permitted, Dick holding the light over his head so that both
might see.
The alarm had now become general, and by the time the yacht was
gained two police officers, who had been on the hunt for harbor
thieves, appeared.
"What's the row about?" demanded one of the officers of the law,
as he came into view.
"Is that an officer?" questioned Dick feebly,
"I am an officer--yes."
"We are after some thieves and some parties who have abducted a girl.
Will you help us?"
"Certainly, if what you say is true. Where is the crowd?"
"They ran off in that direction," came from Sam, as he loomed up
out of the darkness. "They have a yacht out there somewhere."
"Then we can't catch them--unless we get a boat," answered
Sergeant Brown.
"We have a boat, out this way," and Sam pointed with his hand.
"But I guess we had better make certain that they go out first."
"True for you, young man. Lead the way and we'll be with you."
All ran on again, Tom bringing up in the rear with Dick. Soon
the cove previously mentioned was gained. They were just in time
to see the _Flyaway_ disappearing in the darkness.
"Come back here!" cried Tom. "If you don't it will be the worse for
you!"
"Don't you attempt to follow us!" came savagely from Arnold
Baxter. "If you do, somebody will get shot!"
"By crickety, he's a bad one!" cried the second police officer.
"Stop! I order you to stop, in the name of the law!" shouted
Sergeant Brown.
"It's the police!" howled Mumps in sudden terror. "Oh, dear!
I knew we should catch it."
"Shut up," muttered Dan Baxter. "Run up the jib, Goss, and be
quick about it!"
"You do it--I'll have to steer here," answered the sailor, and
Dan Baxter leaped for the sheet mentioned.
"Are you going to stop?" cried Sergeant Brown, after a few
seconds' pause.
To this there was no answer. The sergeant drew his pistol, but
before he could use it, even if he so intended, the yacht was
nothing but an uncertain shadow in the gloom of the night.
"We had better get to your boat," said the police officer.
"All right; come on," said Sam, and showed the way, which was
decidedly uncertain. At one point there was a wide ditch to
cross, and Tom had his hands full getting Dick over.
Martin Harris was watching for them, and had all ready to cast
off should this be required.
"I'm mighty glad you found the police," he said to Dick, who now
felt able to do for himself once more. "Will they go with us?"
"You are certain those folks on the other boat are thieves?"
demanded Sergeant Brown. "Carter and I don't want to go off on
any wild goose chase."
"They are not only thieves, but abductors," said Dick. "We can
easily prove it. They must be caught if it is possible to do
so."
"All right then, we'll go with you. Come, Carter," and the two
officers hopped on board. Soon the mainsail was set, followed by
all the other available canvas, and the _Searchlight_ was
continuing the chase which had been so curiously broken off.
Martin Harris was in the dark so far as knowing what course the
_Flyaway_ had taken, and had to trust to luck to fall in with the
fleeing craft.
"If she's going outside of Staten Island, I reckon I can spot her
before long," he said.
"It looks to me as if the clouds were blowing away," said Tom.
"If they do, the starlight will help us a good deal."
As the yacht tore along through the water, the two police
officers listened with close attention to what the boys had to
tell them.
"If they are the men who robbed Rush & Wilder it will make a fine
haul to capture them," said Sergeant Brown.
"We want to save Dora Stanhope as much as we want to catch those
thieves," returned Dick. "I wonder if her disappearance has been
reported to the police?"
"I can't say. You see, Carter and I have been out all day
looking for a pair of harbor thieves who stole some clothing from
a pleasure yacht lying off the Staten Island shore."
"Did you see anything of your men?"
"We saw them; but they got away in a rowboat. Where they have
gone to is hard telling. But I don't imagine the theft amounted
to much--at least, it was nothing in comparison to the crimes
you are trying to run down."
On and on went the _Searchlight_ through the night, and slowly but
surely the clouds in the heavens cleared away, letting the stars
shine down once more on the silent waters.
Suddenly Martin Harris gave a murmur of satisfaction. "There she is."
"The _Flyaway_!" came from several of the others.
"Yes. Just as I thought; she is heading down the Staten Island
shore straight for Sandy Hook."
"They are bound for Searock!" cried Dick suddenly. "Mr. Baxter
mentioned the place just before they discovered that I was spying
on them."
"That's a good way down the New Jersey coast," said Sergeant
Brown. "Can this boat stand such a sail?"
"Can she?" snorted Harris. "She's strong enough to go to Europe
if you want to make the trip."
"Thank you; when I go to Europe I'll go in a steamer," laughed
the police officer. "I don't think you'd do much in a heavy
blow."
"The _Searchlight_ would hold her own," answered the old sailor
confidently.
The breeze was increasing, and they rounded the Narrows at a
lively rate. The swell from the ocean now struck them, and the
yacht occasionally dipped her nose a little deeper into it than
was expected.
"Here, I don't want, to get wet!" cried Carter. "I'm no sailor,
you know."
"You won't get much," laughed Harris. "This roll is just enough
to be pleasant."
"Perhaps--to some people," came from the policeman, who had
never cared for the rolling deep and who was beginning to feel a
trifle seasick. Fortunately for him, however, the sickness
proved mild and of short duration.
The _Flyaway_ was now in plain sight but too far off to be spoken.
She had every sail set to its fullest, and for the time being it
seemed impossible for the _Searchlight_ to gain upon her. Thus
mile after mile was covered, until Sandy Hook lighthouse could be
plainly seen but a short distance away.
"We are out in the ocean now," remarked Dick an hour later.
"Gracious, when I left Cedarville I didn't think that this was
going to develop into such a long chase!"
"Never mind how far we go, if only the chase proves a success,"
answered Tom. "If we succeed in not only rescuing Dora, but also
in bringing those thieves to justice, it will be a big feather in
our caps."
"I'm glad the police are along," came from Sam. "They must be
well armed, and I don't see how Arnold Baxter and the others will
dare resist them."
"They will dare a good deal to keep out of prison, Sam," remarked
Dick. "They know well enough that if they are caught it may mean
a long term for each of them."
On and on went the two yachts until Sandy Hook lighthouse was
left in the distance. Once it began to cloud over as if there
was a storm in sight, but soon the rising sun came out brightly
over the rim of the ocean.
When it came mealtime Sam prepared the repast, and all, even the
officers of the law enjoyed what was served to them. "It gives
one an appetite, this salt air," was Sergeant Brown's comment.
Soon they were standing down the New Jersey coast, but so far out
on the ocean that the shore line was little more than a dark
streak on the horizon.
"Are we gaining?" That was the question each asked, not once but
a score of times. Martin Harris felt sure that they were; but if
this was so, the advantage on the side of the _Searchlight_ was but
a slight one.